Your Web Host Can Pave The Way For Cyber Santa

Make no mistake about it: Cyber Santa is coming to town and he is coming soon. He also is coming in a big way. Really big.  Some analysts have forecast holiday spending will hit $32 billion, an increase of 18 percent over last year’s record sales. Holiday catalogs are already hitting mailboxes, both online and off. There is no time to waste. Get with your web hosting provider and make sure your site is ready NOW.

“The outlook for is very positive for retailers this holiday shopping season, especially for online retail stores,” noted Richard Feinberg, director of the Purdue Retail Institute and Center for Customer-Driven Quality.  A survey conducted by Shop.org and Shopzilla predicts that one third of online customers will start their shopping in mid to late October. Online stores that are ready to accommodate will be rewarded by shoppers who visit their sites early and often. Online sites that aren’t ready will be duly trampled in the holiday rush.

Savvy online retailers will listen to the ghosts of Christmases past to understand what consumers are likely to do this year. Last year’s record breaking online shopping season revealed some interesting trends.

Web hosting provider lists interesting holiday shopping trends:

1. The strongest growth came in the jewelry and watches category, which saw a 66 percent increase in dollars being spent, followed by video games, event tickets and video game consoles.
2. The number of people willing to spend large sums of money online (i.e. diamond rings in excess of $10,000) increased.
3. Many online retailers extended their guaranteed shipping date. Sixty six percent of respondents in a recent survey said they shopped only on sites that offered free shipping.
4. The record for single-day online sales at U.S. sites was broken on December 13 at $667 million, according to comScore Networks. (In 2005, the record was $556 million spent on December 12.) 
5. Consumers spent roughly 11 percent more per ecommerce site visit.
6. The spike in the number of households with broadband fueled the holiday shopping frenzy. According to comScore.com, people who live in homes with broadband access are twice as likely to shop online.

It goes without saying that every single aspect of your site must be user-friendly, fast and working at peak performance. Online shoppers have high expectations for their online experiences and a very low tolerance for downtime and inconsistencies. Shoppers are quick to assign blame for poor web performance to the retailer. Surveys show that 87 percent of the people who shop online give up on an e-tailer after experiencing three unsuccessful attempts to make an online purchase.  That is why it is critical for you to work with your web hosting provider every step of the way to ensure that all visitors to your site have a superior experience.

Be objective. Look at your website though your customer’s eyes. Make sure it’s easy to use and your product descriptions are clearly written and easy to understand. Make sure there is no “dated” copy on your site. Nobody wants to ready about a September back-to-school sale in December. Update your keywords to include holiday phrases. Your web host can show you how to mix seasonal messages with your company’s name to maximize your site’s success on search engines.

Cyber Santa is gathering products for his sleigh even as we speak. Make sure your popular items are in stock and ready for the ride.

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